Problem
Problem is the third studio album by American singer Kate Logan, released by Capitol Records on April 7, 2015. The album is the follow-up to her second studio album Who I Am (2008). The album was originally to be titled Too Cool To Dance, ''same title as the lead single. However, later the album's name was changed to ''Problem, ''when the song of the same title was recorded. ''Problem is primarily a pop and dance album, with influences of r&b. Logan, Max Martin, and Rock Mafia were the album's executive producers. All three wrote or produced songs for the album, as did musicians such as Jack Antonoff and Richard Vission. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning 185,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with 139,000 coming from pure sales. It also hit number-one in UK, Australia, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan, while also entering the top ten in almost every territory it charted in. On November 2015, Problem was certified Platinum by the RIAA for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams and track-sale equivalent of 1 million units. As of 2018, the album has sold 2,000,000 copies worldwide. The album spawned three four twenty singles in the United States. The lead single, "Too Cool To Dance", debuted at number twenty-six, and later peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "This Time Around", peaked at number 1, while the third single "Beat" peaked at number five on that chart. All three of the aforementioned singles have been certified multiple platinum in the United States. The fourth single, "Feed the Flame" peak at sixteen. "Over You" failed to hit the top 20, peaking at third-five. The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. To promote the album, Logan performed at the Billboard Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and American Music Awards. Recording and production On August 15, 2014, Logan stated on Twitter that she was back from the monastery and had already started working on new music. In January 2015, Logan released "Too Cool To Dance" and in a series of radio promotional interviews, she said her new label gave her lots of freedom to work on the project, as long as she recorded some pop-oriented tracks, which she was fine with since she liked it very much. Kate also stated this album would be truth-teller, and after six years alway she would finally talk about some things from her past, such as her relationship with Richie McCartney. Bur at the same time there were going to be lots of club bangers because that's a type of sound she really likes and going to nightclubs was always part of her life. Singles The album's lead single, "Too Cool To Dance", was released on January 31, 2015. The track earned 78,000 digital downloads in its opening week and debuted at number twenty-six on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was sent to radio the following week and reached a new peak of number 7 in its fifth week. In October 2015, "Too Cool To Dance" was certified double platinum by the RIAA. The second single, "This Time Around" was released at digital music services on March 31, 2015. It was sent to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stations the following week. The song debuted at number 1 in the US aided in part by the music video release, which gathered a lot of buzz. Consequently, this became her biggest hit to date. The single was later certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over 4 million in the US. Similarly, "This Time Around" hit the top 5 in several other regions as well. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, making it her sixth UK top 20 single. "Beat", was released on May 29, 2015 as the album's third single. It debuted at number 74 and later peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks, becoming her third top 10 single from Problem. As of March 2018, "Beat" has sold over 3 million equivalent units in the United States being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, it reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and on the Canadian Hot 100, number 3 on the Australian charts and number 2 in the New Zealand charts. "Feed The Flame" was released on June 30, 2015 as the album's fourth single. The single was serviced to radio in the US the following week, as usual. Its music video was released on July 30 and it was performed on the 2015 Teen Choice Awards. "Feed the Flame" debuted at number eighty-five at the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number sixteen in August. In November 2016, "Everyday" was officially certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over 1 million in the US. The final single from the album was "Over You", which was released on December 4, 2015. The single was sent to the US radio on January 4, 2016, after the end year freeze. The song was chosen as a single to please the fans (it was a favorite track), who were impatient due to the tour delays. The music video was released on January 7, 2015, and the song was performed on the Tonight Show the following week. It peak at number third-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Critical reception Problem received mixed to positive response from music critics. Metacritic calculated an average score of 61 out of 100, based on 30 reviews from reviewers. Adam Markovitz from The Daily Telegraph stated that many of the album's songs were "enjoyable but generic". However, he noted that Problem generally failed to make an overall impression. Jerry Shriver, writing for USA Today, opined that the record was not "consistently entertaining", though admitted that the album was mostly intended for the charts after so much time away. Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani provided a favorable review, praising its sounds and structures, while Jason Lipshutz from Billboard commended Logan's effort to make "a really modern and fun record that fits nowadays". Robert Copsey from The Independent felt that several songs sounded like "half-finished pieces", though suggesting that the album had more good songs than bad tracks. Helen Brown, writing in The Guardian, criticized Logan's choice to talk about things that were now buried and commented that she was probably just wanting to get attention by using other people. Brown however praised the album as "great for dancing". Despite the not so warm welcome, Problem was included in several year-end lists by music critics and publications. In their list of the "15 Best Albums of 2013", Billboard ranked it at 15th place, stating that it is the statement of a singer-songwriter who wants to speak her truth and not her label's. Digital Spy similarly included Problem in their "30 Best Albums of 2013" list at the 27th place. Popjustice ranked the album at 13rd place on their "Top 33 Albums of 2013" list, claiming that it was "good and fun". Track listing